Posted on: Sunday, 26 April 2009
The third morning came, and again they were alive. Imoen became aware of the world around her slowly as she stretched her arms overhead and stifled a yawn with the back of one hand. Cassandra stirred slightly as her ‘pillow’ moved. Imoen smiled and gently laid her hand on her sister’s red-gold hair. It was rough and oily, fouled with days — if not weeks — of sweat, blood, and dirt. She didn’t mind though. It was Cassie, and that was worth its weight in gold.
“Yo, sleepyhead.” Imoen poked the tip of her nose. “Time to wake up.”
The eyes cracked open, revealing a sliver of arctic blue. They regarded Imoen drowsily for a moment and then drifted closed again.
“Hey.” She tried again, this time gently shaking her shoulder. “Seriously, we should go.”
The eyes opened again, a little wider this time. “I’m tired.”
“You slept all night!”
Cassie arched her back slightly and stretched, but made no move to get up. “Still exhausted. I feel like I barely slept at all.”
“Nightmares?”
“No. Just– I feel...weird.”
Imoen frowned and laid her hand against Cassie’s forehead, then her cheeks. “You don’t have a fever.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s more...” She bit her lower lip in concentration as she sought an appropriate word. “More... I don’t know. Just... strange. Wrong, maybe? Did you feel that way after your ritual?”
She shook her head softly. “I always felt okay – well, as okay as I could, I guess. I feel weak, but it’s more like I’m just gradually wasting away, y’know? I was never sick or anything.”
Cassandra lay where she was for a minute, sampling the odd hollowness she felt, trying to understand what it was. ‘Sick’ wasn’t the right word. It didn’t feel bad, it felt... different. Unusual. Uncomfortable from the utter strangeness of it. It didn’t feel ‘wrong’ in the way that illness or disease usually did. It felt... well, maybe it didn’t feel like anything. Maybe lack of feeling was the better term.
“Has this affected you differently than me?” Imoen wondered aloud. “You’ve been dealing with the Bhaal essence longer; perhaps you’re more focused on it. Or maybe it’s more focused on you.”
“That sounds dire. What do you mean?”
